The Book and the Basin and all the Invisible Goo
by kat528
Summary: Markel gets in some trouble after dropping one of Howl's precious magic books into a mysterious basin.


**Disclaimer: I don't own any books by the author of _Howl's Moving Castle _or the movie itself (where this work is based)**

"Sophie!!!!! Hurry!!!! I need some help!!!!" screamed Markel from upstairs.

"What is it, Markel? I'm feeding Calcifer," replied Sophie, smiling softly.

"It's...it's... SOOOPHIIEEEE!!!! Help me, it's swallowing me up!!!!!!!!" came a scared yell from Howl's bedroom.

"Oh my," muttered Sophie, wondering what kind of trouble Markel had gotten into this time.

"Hey lady! What about me? You were about to give me some wood! Hey – Hey wait! Come back!" the little ball of fire screamed.

As she climbed the stairs, her back cracked. "Ooooh, that's going to hurt tomorrow," she said, pulling herself up onto the landing.

She walked down the hall, and as she did so, she felt a breeze around her ankles. It was a cold, chilling, sluggish one. Sophie though that if it had been visible, it would have looked rather like lavatory goo.

This invisible goo was deepest near Howl's room. Sophie pushed open the door, and more goo flooded from the room and down the hall.

"Oh goodness..." Sophie remarked as she gazed around the room, "Markel, dear, what did you do? Why are you even in Howl's room? You know he wouldn't like that."

Markel was hanging from the crystal chandelier, looking mortified.

"I came in to bring Howl's magic book back...and-and-and... I saw this ancient-looking bowl. It was so beautiful, and I accidentally dropped the book in it. Oh Sophie! Then it began to goosh out that invisible stuff, and-and-and– get me down from here!!!!"

Sophie waded, thigh deep, through the gel toward the overflowing bowl.

"Ooh, Markel, we have a real piece of work here. I don't know much about magic, but this liquid appears quite stubborn. It won't stop flowing."

Markel made a whimper of panic, and clung tighter to its golden chain.

"Don't worry, we'll get this cleared up in no time," Sophie said, pushing up her sleeves.

"Wha-what are you doing?" Markel stammered, worried what would happen if she touched it.

"Don't worry, dear."

She picked up the bowl, and examined its edges. Then she turned it upside down, which only increased the flow of the great invisible goo that was rapidly increasing in depth in the room. She quickly righted it.

"Oh my... This is indeed fairly old. It seems Grecian, perhaps."

"Sophie? Please don't wait to get this stuff gone. I'm getting nervous..."

Sophie turned and smiled reassuringly at Markel. "It'll be gone in a jiffy. Wait just one minute." She waded out of the room and down into the kitchen.

"Finally! Sophie, you worried me up there. You'd better move me, or get rid of this goo stuff, because otherwise I'll go out. And you know what that would mean," Calcifer exclaimed with some relief as Sophie picked him up and moved him to the shelf above the table.

"Don't worry; I'll get this cleaned up. But I need your help, Calcifer. What happens if you drop a powerful spell book into an ancient Grecian marble bowl?"

"Oooh!! Is that what he did? I'm gonna kill 'em, I swear! This invisible goo? That's the magic that was in the book. That Grecian bowl you were talking about? That is used to suck the magic from the blood of a wizard. Dead wizards. Murdered wizards. Sophie, you're in trouble!"

"Calcifer, I'm sure it's not that bad. You help me clean this up, and Howl will never know."

"I cant' do that, Sophie. I can assist with magic, but interfering with powerful magical object that Howl doesn't- I can't do it. Sorry. I don't know how else I can be of use."

After a moment of silence, "Can you burn it?"

"WHAT? Burn the magic? Gosh, Sophie, that's like burning money! We need Howl here. He'll – SOOOOOPHIIIIIEEEE!!!! Sophie, it's going to swallow me! Move me again, will ya?"

It was true- the goo had risen to a height extraordinaire. If they couldn't get it under control right now, it would end badly for everyone.

"Hmmm..." sighed Sophie as she waded through the now waist-deep slush to place Calcifer on the shelf above the window.

"AAAAAAAH!!!!!!!" came a terrified scream from upstairs. "SOOOOOPPHHIIEEE!!!!!!"

"Oh my! Markel! Markel, I'm coming!!!" yelled Sophie, realizing that by now Markel could be stuck up there.

"Calcifer, quick! What can I do?" said Sophie in the most commanding voice Calcifer had ever heard.

"Yes Ma'am! If the book is still in the bowl, don't try to take it out. Then you'll get sucked in. Bad stuff, Sophie, bad stuff. You know that mirror on Howl's wall? Put it, mirror-side up, over the bowl. Count to five, out loud. I suggest you get up on the bed before you get to 'five'. Go get 'em!"

Sophie trudged up the stairs onto the landing. The goop was flowing thick and fast.

"I... didn't... know... there was... _so much_...magic... in this... book!" she panted as she swam through the doorway into Howl's room.

"SOOOOPPHIIIIEE!!! Do something!!!" Markel screeched, so afraid of the creeping, chilling liquid almost up to the top of the doorway.

Sophie managed, after much work, to get to the mirror. She tried very hard to pull it off the wall. It wouldn't budge.

"Markel! Make this mirror come free of the wall!"

"Um...ok," Markel said, and waved his hands a few times.

The mirror was free.

Sophie yanked it off the wall and swam over to the bowl.

She placed the mirror on top of the Grecian basin, just as Calcifer said. Then she quickly jumped up onto the headboard of Howl's bed, a few inches above the top of the goo.

There was a great loud noise, like a train, like a storm, like thunder. Wind blew through the room and the house. Sophie thought, "Oh dear... this will end badly. I just know it."

As the noise grew louder, the liquid began to spin into a vortex above the mirror and bowl. Soon it began funneling in, and the goo level went down.

After a few minutes of constant roar, the noise died out. Markel, still on the chandelier, was shaking with fear. His eyes were closed in relief.

"Well, I seemed to have missed quite the party," came a voice from the doorway.

Sophie looked down at Howl. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I'm not really sure what happened. But I'm sorry. I'll get right to cleaning up whatever is left from this little disaster." She climbed down from the head board.

"It seems that everyone is alright. You look as if to have solved whatever problems you came across. Thank you, Sophie. I think that we should feast in celebration of your great job."

Their eyes locked, and both of them smiled. They knew what had happened, and now thought it rather funny.

Howl moved across the mildly messy room toward the basin. Removing the mirror, he pulled the book out of the bowl. It looked a bit wet, but still in good shape. It was again giving off its magic golden glow. All appeared in good order.

Markel had been staring from Sophie to Howl to see what will become of himself. Neither seemed angry, but he could tell that Sophie was quite relieved it was over.

Howl set his book on the table. "Markel, would you care to join us on the ground?"

"Very much, sir," he replied with a bit of a laugh.

"Of course," Howl chuckled, and with a flick of his wrist, Markel was on the ground next to Sophie.

The three of them looked around the room at the water line and at the soggy books and instruments strewn around the room. Everyone burst out laughing. There was, indeed, cause for a feast.

As they made their way into the kitchen, Calcifer huffed, "Nice of you to fix it, Sophie... I was almost put out! You could've done some bad stuff if you didn't fix it when you did."

"Aw, Calcifer! We're having a feast! Lighten up a bit!" laughed Markel.

"Don't worry, Calcifer. I'd never let you go out," added Sophie, moving to get dinner ready.

Calcifer mumbled, "Indeed! You almost did!"

Howl grinned to himself. What a strange family it was. "Sophie, don't worry. I'll fix it tonight."

"Oh, why thank you, Howl. Are you sure?"

"Yes. It's about time I did something for you. After all, you saved my moving castle from a flood of magic goo."

Again, everyone burst out laughing. Well, everyone except Calcifer. But as soon as Howl gave him some pinewood to munch on, he cheered up, and even joined in the telling of exactly what happened that day.

**Please review! I'd like editorial comments if you have any, but show a little mercy in what you say. ;) **

This was written by my good pal Ashley, so I'll make sure she reads your comments. kat


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